Vegetarian Archives - Page 12 of 13

Rhubarb Orange Ginger Jam

15|10|2013

There is something special about making things from scratch. Especially when they are simple, easily achievable and money-saving. Making Jam at home is an easy process as long as you keep in mind a few basic things.

The gelling agent that sets a jam/jelly is Pectin that is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in fruits. The levels of pectin varies between fruits and therefore it is handy to know which fruits will give you a better consistency while making jam (without having to add an external gelling agent). Does that mean, you cannot use your favourite fruits to make jam or preserve if they are low in pectin? Not at all. In that case, you can combine low-level pectin fruits with a high level one to get the desired consistency. You can refer to this page to understand the levels of pectin in fruits.

This jam is not too sweet and the combination really works. Citrus peel is high in pectin and gives the jam just the right amount of citrusy flavour to balance the sweetness of the rhubarb. The peel along with Glace/Candied/Crystallised Ginger gives the jam a unique texture and bite. Ginger is my all time favourite ingredient and I just need an excuse to add it in my recipes. Rhubarb can vary in sweetness at different time so you will need to adjust the sweetness accordingly. Also, candied ginger is already sweetened so if you are skipping it, the sweetness might again need adjusting.

Rhubarb, Orange, Ginger Jam
Makes 1 jar

1 bunch rhubarb( approx 350 g), trimmed, cleaned and chopped into 2 cm pieces
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Peel from 1 orange, thinly sliced
1/4 cup glace/candied/crystallised ginger, roughly chopped
200 g castor sugar

Combine the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and orange peel in a large, wide heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium, add the ginger and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until jam reaches setting point.

Remove the jam from the heat immediately and ladle into the preserving jars and seal. Set aside until cooled completely. Label, date and store in a cool, dark place.

Mixed Berry and Cardamom Kulfi (Ice Cream) Popsicle

28|08|2013

Ever since I came back from my trip to India I have been craving more and more Indian food…the spicy curries, the mouth-watering street food and most of all the sweet treats. The part of India where I have lived for the most part of my life is famous for its sweet shops that fill up every nook and corner of the city. The variety is immense and choices unlimited. Perhaps, that is where my fascination for dessert stems from. I hope to try and recreate as many as I can.

To be honest, I have never enjoyed Indian summers as it tends to be humid and sticky and makes you feel tired easily. But there are some delicious ways to beat the heat and that makes up for everything. Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert, popularly known as an Indian ice cream. It is very simple to make and does not require an ice cream maker. Traditionally Kulfis are flavoured with spices and/or nuts which makes them aromatic and downright delicious. A lot of people make them at home but the best way to enjoy them is from the street vendors who make them look all the more vibrant with different coloured syrups and condiments.

During the trip, I enjoyed the street side Kulfi as much as I could, eating two or three at a time but I don’t think that I’ve had enough of them. I made them the very next day I arrived in Sydney. But with a berry twist (Spring, I embrace you with open arms)! Cardamom powder is an integral part of Indian sweets. If you do not have access to it, you can easily make it at home by cracking the pods open and passing the seeds through a food processor. The skins can be added to tea to get a wonderful flavour and aroma.

I personally loved the pairing. I was careful not to overpower the authentic flavours of the Kulfi by adding too much berries. As soon as you remove the moulds you can smell the cardamom. One bite into the dessert you can taste the raspberries and blueberries along with the smooth, creamy milk. And you will want to go back for it..over and over again!

Mixed Berry and Cardamom Kulfi Ice Cream Popsicle
Makes 8 popsicles

500 ml full fat milk
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
1 tbsp sugar

In a heavy bottomed, shallow pan heat the milk and bring it to a simmer (on medium heat). Stir the milk from time to time to avoid burning. Simmer the milk till it is reduced to half its volume and turns a beige color. Add the condensed milk and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the cardamom powder. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, process the berries and sugar in a food processor till completely pureed. Add the puree to the cooled milk mixture and process to blend together. You can use a stick blender or a food processor. Strain to remove seeds (optional). Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Eggless Chocolate and Passion Fruit Melting Moments

21|08|2013

I am back home after a super hectic yet wonderful trip. After eating plenty of good food and gorging on sweets, I would have loved to post a few Indian recipes. Those are sure to follow but today I wanted to post these Melting Moments. Sugar et al has completed 6 months today and a half anniversary was the perfect excuse for me to look back, go through my previous posts and recipes and assess how far I have travelled since I started out.

Its been such an amazing journey with the new things that I learnt along the way, the wonderful people who I came across, the different cuisines, creativity, thoughts, ideas that I find everywhere. Funny that I didn’t even know that such a beautiful place existed on the Internet before I started. I so love this blog-o-sphere as much as I love you all.

I am my own critic. Will it be exaggeration if I tell you that so much of the food I cook and photograph don’t make it to my blog? If I am not happy with the way a dish looks it will not be posted and I will start working on something else. I make a rare exception if the recipe is unique or has taken a great deal of effort to make or the gap between my posts are significantly long. So today I have recreated these cookies, with variations of course. My Strawberry Melting Moments is one of those posts which I was never proud of. I was experimenting with my camera and they were photographed badly. Do you also have such instances? Are there posts that you wish you had done differently?

That being said, I am totally in love with these cookies. The crumbly melt-in-your mouth texture makes them so special. Passion fruit pairs beautifully with chocolate in these cookies and look how bright they look together! This months Sweet Adventures Blog Hop challenge is also about cookies. I have missed the last few challenges so I was excited to find out about the Cookie Monster theme in August. The event is being hosted this month by Sophie from The Sticky and Sweet. Do check out the fantastic creations that all have put up at the end of the post.

Eggless Chocolate and Passion Fruit Melting Moments
Makes 7 large sandwich cookies

125g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
1 cup flour
2 tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder

For filling
60g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp passion fruit puree, strained to remove seeds
2 drops yellow food colouring

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour, custard powder and cocoa powder over the butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and a soft dough forms. Using 1 heaped tbsp of dough per ball, make balls. Place on prepared trays leaving room for spreading. Using a fork dipped in cocoa, lightly flatten each biscuit until 1 cm thick. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on tray for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the passion fruit filling: Using an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter till fluffy. Add the sugar gradually and whisk to combine. Add the passion fruit puree and mix well. Tint the frosting with food colour. Spread or pipe the filling on the flat side of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Serve dusted with cocoa powder.

Raspberry Poached Pears With Chocolate Sauce

22|07|2013

Poached pears in a beautiful pink raspberry puree and served with a homemade chocolate sauce.

All the dessert lovers of the world, in my opinion belong to two broad categories. The chocolate lovers and the non-chocolate lovers (do they even exist?). Okay, let me rephrase that…the chocolate lovers and the fruits-over-chocolate lovers. And of course, there are the ones like me who fall somewhere in between. The ones who like to enjoy the best of both worlds!

Poached pears make for a fancy yet healthy dessert. Though I have experimented with various fruits, pears are my favourite poach-able fruit. Not only do they take in the colour and the flavour, of the poaching liquid (which can be totally customised to your preference), they are pretty simple to cook with a handful of ingredients and can be made ahead in time. At one time, I was so obsessed with poaching pears in different combinations that I think I would have to create a separate category if I had to blog about them. The bottom line is, that the possibilities with them are endless.

There are so many varieties of pears to choose from but I personally prefer to use the Bosc pears as they retain their long slender shape well. Though it’s a fairly simple process, they key is not to undercook or overcook the pears. What we are looking for is a firm fruit, cooked evenly, without resistance when you cut through with a spoon. For this purpose, the pears need to be turned around in between. Also, letting the pears cool down in the liquid, intensifies the flavour and colour.
The chocolate sauce complements the deep flavour of the raspberries and elevates the dessert to a whole new level. I have included a non dairy version of the sauce too that will be slightly thinner than the first one but tastes almost as good. You can have the poached pears warm or cold. I like them warm with a bit of whipped cream to go alongside.

Raspberry Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Serves 4

1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
4 cups water
4 Beurre Bosc pears, peeled and cored

For the chocolate sauce
100 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup pouring cream/single cream
25 g butter

For a dairy free, chocolate sauce
1 tbsp castor sugar
½ cup cocoa
¼ cup boiling water

Trim the bottom of the pear to make a flat surface so it can stand upright. Retain the stems for a nice presentation. Combine all the ingredients except the pears in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, bring it to a boil, stirring in between till the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to a simmer and gently add the pears. Cover and cook till tender turning in between until cooked evenly. To test this, poke with a fork. Remove from heat. Let the pears stand in the poaching liquid till cool. Remove the pears and strain the liquid to remove seeds or any fruit bits that may be present.
Pour the liquid back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce it till it reaches a syrupy consistency. Keep aside.

For the chocolate sauce, heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, add the chocolate and whisk until melted, add the butter and continue to whisk until well combined.

For the dairy free version, combine sugar, cocoa and boiling water in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.

To Serve, place a poached pear on a plate. Pour over the reduced raspberry sauce. Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream or pipe little flowers of whipped cream around the pear.